Dinner for Five

[September 10th, 2003] If there is any cinematic justice, the name Eli Roth will some day be mentioned along with such masters of horror as Sam Raimi, Wes Craven, John Carpenter and George Romero. Sure, that's a bold statement, but Roth, a protégé of David Lynch, has crafted such an impressive work with Cabin Fever--his feature-film directorial debut--that he is bound to take a place in the pantheon of horror.

Drawing inspiration from, and paying homage to, such fright flicks as Night of the Living Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Evil Dead, The Hills Have Eyes, Last House on the Left and Phantasm, Cabin Fever is a throwback to the horror films of the past. "Balls-out horror" is the term Roth prefers--those unrelenting tales of terror that rely on scaring audiences, not winking at them ironically. Which isn't to say Cabin Fever doesn't have its moments of jet-black humor. But whatever laughs may be found take a backseat to the gruesome violence, gut-churning gore and nihilistic tone that recalls the glory days of horror, when nobody got out alive (or at least nobody got out without severe psychological damage).

Cabin Fever starts off with the old stand-by premise that finds a group of recent college graduates heading off for an ill-fated vacation. Among the disposable ranks of vacationers are the standard horror-film archetypes: Paul (Rider Strong), the dorky sensitive guy; Karen (Jordan Ladd), the cute girl-next-door; Jeff (Joey Kern), the pretty-boy stud; Marcy (Cerina Vincent), the hot-to-trot sexpot; and Bert (James DeBello), the obnoxious jock. Once our motley quintet makes its way to a secluded cabin in the woods of North Carolina, they find themselves in a world of serious trouble when they run afoul of...necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating virus. It isn't long before the college grads are left to deal with much tougher decisions than going to graduate school or not--like what to do when your best friend's face has been eaten off.

Cabin Fever is a finely crafted film, with great cinematography by Scott Kevan. It is also a film that knows what it takes to be horrific, delivering gag-inducing special makeup effects courtesy of Bob Kurtzman and Greg Nicotero. And despite his oddball sense of humor, Roth not only respects the often-dismissed genre, he also takes fans of the genre seriously--perhaps because he's one of them. Roth's love for horror film is evident in nearly every scene.

Hardcore fans of horror won't find much originality in Cabin Fever, as nearly everything in the film has been done before (keep in mind that The Blair Witch Project was a rehash of Cannibal Holocaust). But those who know that Night of the Living Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre are two of the most important independent American films of all time will find Cabin Fever to be a refreshing respite from recent schlock like Freddy vs. Jason, Jeepers Creepers 2 and the craptacular My Little Eye. Likewise, those who have been weaned on flicks like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer will be in for a surprise when they see a horror film that revels in the blood, guts and sex of a well-deserved R-rating. It's just like the good old days.